CHAPTER 7

'This is bad,' Riku thought. He may not have faced Saix before,but he knew he was powerful. When he used his full power, TRUE BERSERKER MODE, he was unstoppable. He didn't even feel pain when he was like that. Riku raised his sword and lunged straight at Saix. He knew he couldn't give him the chance to use that mode. Riku brought down his Soul Eater, but Saix knocked it away with one front hand swing, and immediately countered with a back handed strike. Riku had no time to block, and the attack came at him too fast. Bam! The weapon had hit him right in the face. Riku then hit the ground.

"No," screamed Kairi as she retaliated, and attacked Saix. Her swings were becoming faster and more accurate. All Saix could do at the moment was dodge. Then Kairi made a downfall swing. She swung the Keyblade sideways, giving Saix the opportunity he needed. Saix leaned back enough to do a back flip, and in doing so, kicked the Oathkeeper out of Kairi's hands, and into the air.

Saix readied his weapon for a brutal strike. "Just remember," said Saix, "I gave you a choice." He swung his weapon sideways, ready to sweep her into the wall. However, something stopped his Claymore. More like 'caught' it actually. Sora had risked taking the blow, and managed to stop him. "You fool."

Sora let out a small growl. "I... Will... Protect," he growled. Sora's new power had been active for so long, it gained a sense of identity.

"Sora is Sora, you jerk," Kairi commented towards Saix. "Of coarse he'd risk everything to protect us!"

Saix looked less than amused. "Well, I'll just have to use that trait when I lock you and him up. He'll fight all the heartless we throw at him in a cage. And it'll all be to keep them from getting to you."

Kairi's face hardened. She expected no less from someone so cruel. She raised her hand and down came the Oathkeeper. It landed right in her hand. "I'll die before I let you hurt Sora." Kairi pointed the tip of Sora's Keyblade at Saix, determination filling her eyes. "Freeze." With that word, the BLIZZARD spell shot from the key towards Saix. His face was covered in shock. Had he not dodged the attack, a great deal of damage might have been done. "I have the power of Sora and Riku within me. And what's more, I'm a princess of heart. I am not going to lose to you."

Sora jumped at Saix, attempting to use his claws to rip him a new one. Saix had been put strictly on the defensive. Sora slashed repeatedly, forcing Saix to back up further and further until finally, he ran out of room. He was backed up against the wall, with Sora in front, Kairi attacking from the right, and a reawakened Riku attaking from the left. He had no other choice now.

"MOON SHINEDOWN!" Saix called. A powerful shockwave emitted from Saix, pushing back the three friends. He had entered TRUE BERSERKER MODE. "ALL SHALL BE LOST TO YOU!" Saix smashed the ground repeatedly, sending shockwave after shockwave towards the three. Sora jumped to the wall, using his claws to keep him there. "YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME!" Saix jumped into the air and slammed his weapon against the wall. The shock moved fast, but Sora was faster. Sora dashed to the next wall to avoid the attack. Saix didn't slow down though.

Saix continued chasing Sora. He didn't show interest in Riku or Kairi. His only target at the moment was the one person too fast for him to catch. Riku studied Saix's pattern of attack. He knew he couldn't hurt him when he was like that, but he also knew Saix coundn't stay like that forever. Eventually he would need to rest for a few seconds and he'd be defenseless. Saix continued to smash his weapon, trying to get at least one good strike in. Finally he'd caught up to Sora, there would be no escape this time. As he swung his claymore towards Sora, he felt a sudden rush of pain. Berserker Mode had a hefty price. His fatigue would increase, as well as his power. He ignored the pain as it only hindered him. As the attack almost connected with Sora, Riku had shot his Dark Firaga at Saix's claymore. The attack had just barely missed Sora by an inch.

Saix had swung with so much force that when the rush of pain tackled him again, he lost his grip on his own weapon. Saix fell to the floor, still fatigued from the attack. "You think that'll stop me," he screamed. With his claymore stuck in the wall next to Sora, his screaming threat seemed much less powerful to the three. At least until he had summoned a brand new claymore, with the other one still in the wall. "I AM NEVER WITHOUT A WEAPON!" Saix swung his weapon at Riku and Kairi now. Kairi jumped into the air, and Riku dashed backwards.

Saix set his sights on Kairi now. Riku could still dodge him, but Kairi would eventually have to reconnect with the ground. He positioned himself for a brutal strike. 3. 2. 1. Saix swung towards the descending Kairi, only to miss. Sora had jumped fast enough to catch her in mid-air. Sora and Kairi were now on the wall together. Sora roared towards Saix, almost like it was his way of saying, "try that again, and I'll make you wish I'd send you to hell".

"This isn't working," stated Kairi. "We need something that can break that power of his." She watched him closely. He had to have a weakness.

Riku took the opportunity to strike at Saix. He went in for a stab, but Saix merely side stepped, and swung sideways. Riku knew Saix's weapon was too heavy for him to block, especially when he was still in his residual Berserker Mode. Riku ducked down and swung upwards, slashing a small cut in Saix's chest. Blood emitted from his chest into the air. Riku didn't bask in his one strike though. Saix hadn't even flinched. Saix brought his weapon down towards Riku's head, but Riku had jumped back far enough to get away.

Kairi, still being held by Sora, was watching the fight as closely as she could. Back and fourth, Saix and the "imposter", as Saix had stated, were in your traditional fight to the death. "Sora," she said. Sora responded, as if he was actually listening. "Listen, I don't know if you actually understand me, but I need you to distract him." Sora's gazed kept locked on her. "Do you understand? I need you to keep him busy long enough for me to get a good shot in."

Sora put Kairi on the ground. It seemed as though he had understood her after all. Sora rushed at Saix. He hit him hard enough to knock him off balance, but Saix regained his footing instantly. Riku took another chance at a stab, aiming for Saix's head, but the claymore blocked his failed attempt. Sora went in and slashed at Saix's face, but all he could manage was a small cut. Riku stepped in for a vertical slash, but Saix dodged that attack too.

'This is taking far too long,' thought Saix. 'I can't return to full Berserker Mode yet. If I do, I'll be handing them my extermination on a silver platter.' Saix had more than luck on his side at the moment, since he was still alive after all the fatigue he was fighting, but he also had years of experience. Experience, Sora and Kairi, definitely did not have. But the imposter, he wasn't entirely sure who he even was yet.

Saix could feel his strength returning. Very soon he'd have the necessary strength to finish this fight. "FREEZE," screamed Kairi from behind him. Sora and Riku had forced Saix into a point-blank ranged BLIZZARD attack. Before he knew it, he was covered in a thick layer of ice. Kairi dropped to her knees, clearly exhausted from the fight. "Wow," she began, "that was a hell of a lot tougher than I thought it would be." Sora sat next to her, cross legged. He didn't say anything. He just starred at Kairi, clearly impressed with her plan. "Don't stare at me like that Sora." She turned her face away, trying to hide the fact that she was now blushing.

Riku stepped next to her. Hood still up and all. "You've gotten so much stronger than before." Riku looked at his two childhood friends with pride. He wished he could tell them who he was, but he was too ashamed of himself. He had given into the darkness, and now he looked like the enemy that had tried to kill Sora, orchestrated the destruction of the worlds, lead the heartless, and had Maleficent capture Kairi and the other Princesses of Hearts. He felt like he could never face them with his current form.

"So," Kairi spoke up. "Since we've finally caught ourselves a breather, do you mind telling me just who you are?" Kairi smiled up towards Riku. Sora didn't smile, but he looked towards him sincerely. They had just fought an army and Saix together.

"Well," he began, "I'm actually-"

BOOM! Saix had broken free of his ice prison. "YOU LITTLE RATS," he screamed. "I WILL TURN YOU ALL INTO NOTHINGNESS!" He slammed his claymore to the ground, knocking all three friends in different directions. Riku had been knocked to the ground. Kairi had been knocked unconscious when her head hit the wall. Sora himself had been knocked into the wall, again, right next to Saix's first Claymore. Saix walked over to the weaponless Riku. "You little maggots have caused me enough trouble for one day a lifetime."

Saix raised his claymore, ready to deliver the final blow to Riku. Riku was too exhausted and beaten to fight back anymore. He shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable strike. "BEGONE," screamed Saix as he thrust his weapon towards Riku's head. But Riku's time had not come today. Sora had slammed Saix away from Riku, using Saix's very own claymore against him. Saix starred in disbelief. No one had ever used his own weapon against him. "You dare?!"

Sora charged at Saix. Saix swung sideways but Sora ducked out of danger, and swung the weapon in his hands upwards, knocking Saix into the air. Sora jumped towards him. "I... Will...," he barely said, "PROTECT THEM!" Sora slammed Saix's claymore into his so hard that Saix had smashed through the nearby window.

Saix fell 3 floors down. He landed just on the edge of a walkway, coughing up blood. "Damn... it," he said in defeat.

A/N: Story's not done yet. Remember I said ten chapters. And please don't keep posting "Update" in the review section. I'll update when I have free time.